The Ontario Fire Marshal (OFM) is investigating an early morning fire on Friday in downtown Stayner that damaged three buildings and displaced seven people.

Fire crews from Clearview, Springwater and Collingwood were called to Stayner’s main street around 12:30 a.m. for a fire at a business.

Brenda Burkholder lives in the apartment above ‘Perfect Sense’, which is where fire officials believe the fire started. Luckily everybody in the apartment got out safely.

“I woke up, I heard the beeping and then I come down the stairs and it was like black thick smoke, just got out with my pyjamas and bare feet,” says Burkholder.

The fire was contained to one business but five upstairs apartments were badly damaged by smoke, leaving seven homeless. Two neighbouring businesses also suffered smoke damage.

“Our first crew of three went in and they encountered high heat, low visibility and the fire load in that store was duvets and mattresses,” says Clearview Fire Chief Colin Shewell.

The Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office (OFM) is investigating because of the extent of the damage which is estimated to be at least $500,000.

One of the businesses affected by the fire was Barb’s Clothes Closet and they are now dealing with smoke damage inside their store.

“Smoke damage, there wasn’t any fire in our place but when you can go in you can smell smoke so I don’t know, I have to wait and see. The insurance will come and tell what’s going on,” says Barb Jerry from Barb’s Clothes Closet.

The Red Cross provided food and clothing vouchers for those displaced and all seven people have a place to stay.

“In this case, the community responded, friends and family have accommodated all the people who were affected,” says Red Cross spokesperson Johannes Sauerteig.

“People that didn’t know each other, they know each other now and they know each other through a traumatic event,” added Shewell.

Investigators with the OFM will be on scene for a few days, but it could be months before some of the tenants are allowed back in their apartments.